


Best Mistakes

by scorp_bus



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cute, Death, Depression, Fluff, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, Illness, LGBT, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nerd Scorpius, Pining, Potter Family, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, loner albus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-06-19 12:28:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15509877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorp_bus/pseuds/scorp_bus
Summary: A story in which two misunderstood boys find themselves together.





	1. Chapter One

⚡

It was Albus' first year at Hogwarts, the school for witchcraft and wizardry, and the young boy was rightfully nervous. His older brother James was in his third year, and already had assumptions about his brother. Only to add to his nerves James was practically dancing around him, taunting him about which house he going to be put into. His father, Harry Potter, was telling James to quit it as he could see it was stressing Albus out.

"I doubt you'll be in Gryffindor, you aren't nearly brave enough. You'll probably be in Hufflepuff," James said, patting his brother's head mockingly. Albus moved his head away and sighed, knowing what his brother said was probably true. He wasn't nearly as brave as the rest of his family, even his sister who was two years younger had more courage than him. He had already accepted his fate as a Hufflepuff and tried not to worry about it any more, however, he still wanted to fit in with the rest of his family and be a Gryffindor.

"We'll be proud of you, regardless of which house you're put into," His Mother reassured, also assuming he wouldn't be placed into Gryffindor like the rest of his family.

Part of Albus didn't want to be placed in Gryffindor. All his life he'd been in constant comparison with his brother James and his Father, and being put in Gryffindor will just prove to the world that he is like James, but a much worse version of him. He didn't anyone to know this, and he did want to be put in Gryffindor but he also knew that he'd always be placed dark, lonely shadow of James.

Soon they got to the platform 9¾, and Albus took a deep breath, knowing this could be the start of something amazing or terrible. James ran through the wall first wanting to find uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Harry suggested going through with Albus, however, the boy declined as he wanted to do this himself. He ran towards the wall and clenched his eyes shut, before continuing to run onto the platform.

He opened his eyes saw James already making conversation with their aunt and uncle, so slowly made his way over there. His cousin Rose was staring at him, most likely feeling the exact opposite of how he was.

Rose had waited her whole life for this. Her mother and father had told her endless stories about Hogwarts and since she was just six years old, she was aching for her letter to arrive. Despite the advanced knowledge she had for her age, she was destined for Gryffindor like both of her parents. Albus envied Rose's confidence, her head held high and a massive smile on her face. Albus, on the other hand, had been fearfully anticipating this day. Ever since he learnt about all the amazing, heroic, but downright terrifying adventures his father got up to, Albus was dreading his letter. It's arrival sent shivers down the spine as he realized he was going to have to live up to the incredible doings of his father. Nothing scared him more than disappointing his own family. Harry and Ginny along with Lily walked over to were their children, however, not a word left their mouths before Ron gasped, looking behind them.

"If it isn't Malfoy with his child." Everyone turned to look at Draco Malfoy, who had aged considerably well, talking to his son. Malfoy's son looked like a mini version of himself, having the classic Malfoy complex, white as a sheet skin and pink-tinted lips. However, the boy had fluffy white blond hair instead of having it slicked back. The young boy also appeared much scrawnier and shorter than Draco ever was at his age. Fortunately, the Malfoy's failed to see the stares from their previous enemies, as the Hogwarts Express appeared.

Albus' parents hugged James, before telling him to get onto the train so he could get good seats. Rose followed after him as they boarded the train, clearly excited for the year ahead.

"Albus, Hogwarts is going to be the best years of your life. We love you so much and are already proud of you. Go have fun and make new friends," His Mum told him, rubbing his shoulders reassuringly before kissing his forehead and sent him onto the train.

Albus wandered onto the train and started to hunt for his family. He heard James shout a familiar name and followed the sound. He soon saw a carriage already trashed and laughter echoing off the walls, with bright smiles sat against them. Albus squeezed himself into the cornered and watched everyone greet each other after the long summer. The three cousins sat in a compartment along with some of James' friends. Rose seemed to have fitted in perfectly, already joking along with the other students, who were all Gryffindor. Albus, on the other hand, was sat next to the window just wishing the ride would be over so he could get rid of everyone. The group would occasionally try to include him in what they were saying but Albus didn't really enjoy their humour. Albus had never been a fan of big groups of people, making Christmas quite a stressful experience instead of a happy one.

Soon, the turrets of the castle came into view and there was immediately excited chatter about it. Albus made sure he had all his things, before going to change into his robes. The feeling he had when he pulled them on was not that of happiness, but instead anxiety. He went back to the compartment where James pea-nutted his tie, although made sure he fixed it as well, not wanting to be embarrassed by his younger brother.

Finally, the train came to a stop and everyone rushed to get off, eager to get to the great hall. Albus was just pushed along with everyone off of the train, he didn't even get to say goodbye to James before he was rushed away with the rest of the first years. His eyes searching for someone familiar as he followed everyone towards the boats which were going to take them up to the school. He climbed into a boat and his eyes landed on the boy who his family were staring at in the train station. He turned away quickly but didn't miss the fear written all over his face. He was glad that he wasn't the only one who was scared about Hogwarts. Soon the boat was in the shadow of the daunting school and Albus could feel all of his nerves building up. When the boat finally pulled up to the shore, Albus was considering just jumping out and swimming back to the Hogwarts Express. The blond haired boy looked like he had similar ideas to him.

However, they were hustled off the boat and through the main doors. There were simultaneous gasps of fascination from all the first years, except Albus who just gulped as he looked up and saw his surroundings. Before they even had a chance to comprehend what was now there home for the next seven years, the doors to the great hall were opened and they were greeted by the existing students.

Soon the sorting ceremony began and one by one each student house was revealed. The pale, blond-haired boy, now named Scorpius, was sorted in Slytherin. However, the excitement from the Slytherin table for him had been considerably less than any other students. Rose, obviously, assorted into Gryffindor and held herself proudly as she made her way over to join her cousins.

Next Albus was up. They called his name and for a split second he was going to run for it, but instead, he was pushed up and forced to sit on the stool. The hat was placed on his head and nervously awaited its answer. It felt as though it had been on his head for hours before it finally made its decision.

"You're not like the rest of your family, are you Potter? You're quiet, scared? But determined, for what? That's for you to decide," The sorting hat said. There was silence in the hall as everyone watched the young boy's destiny unfold. "There's something in you Potter, like your father, SLYTHERIN."

There was a stunned silence. Without thinking he stood up and made his way over to the table, not even sure of his actions. When he sat down, Scorpius Malfoy gave him a small look of confusion, but soon enough looked away. No one clapped, no one even dared to look. How did the child of a Potter and a Weasley end up in Slytherin?

It must have been a mistake. It had to of been a mistake.

⚡


	2. Chapter Two

⚡

It was the morning after the assortment of the first years and the first feast. Albus hadn't slept a wink which was seemingly obvious due to the bags under his brown eyes. He was sat at the Slytherin table with a fresh, creamy coffee in front of him and Scorpius Malfoy sat across from him with his head in a book.

Albus was unconsciously watching Scorpius as he pushed his glasses up his nose occasionally, or moved a stray hair out of the way. He also looked around at the rest of the three other boys from his dorm room chatting happily, like they had been all night, much to Albus' infuriation. He stared down at the pale brown beverage, which probably had too much sugar in it, in front of him and wondered if anyone felt like he did. Alone.

Albus could practically feel himself falling asleep until he heard a ruckus come into the hall. He turned around and saw his brother, cousins and a lot of other Gryffindors laughing in an undignified manner as they made their way over to the Gryffindor table. He watched James detach himself from them and walk towards the Slytherin table. Before he knew it, his back was hit and he looked up to see James smiling down at him.

"Wow, you look dead," James stated, chuckling a little at his brother's reaction. "Didn't think I'd have a little Slytherin brother, oh well, there always has to be one disappointment in the family."

Albus looked down as James commented on his house, knowing James was right. However, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Scorpius Malfoy's head shoot up and scowled at James. It happened in a split second. He was glaring one second, then back to reading the next.

"Calm down little Malfoy, just like you're father aren't you?" James joked, seeing Scorpius' reaction about Slytherin.

"I'm nothing like my father," Scorpius replied a little above a whisper, not even bothering to look up from his book.

James just laughed, clearly finding Scorpius quite amusing. "Looks like I'm not wanted around here, see you around little bro," James said, patting Albus' shoulder once more then started heading back to the Gryffindor table.

Albus sighed before picking up his half-empty mug of coffee, downed it then slammed the mug on the table. After moving it away from him, Albus rested his head in his hands and groaned, only loud enough for Scorpius to hear.

"What a charming brother you have," Scorpius said, putting his book down and looked directly at Albus.

"Sorry, he can be a little insensitive sometimes," Albus replied, resting his chin on his hands.

Albus could now look at Scorpius properly. His blonde hair looked white in the morning light, and his grey eyes glistened with life behind his glasses. Albus' father had never described Draco Malfoy how Scorpius looked, he always said the man 'looked like he could kill someone any minute'. Albus wondered if Scorpius was really like his father, or if he was being honest by saying he was nothing like him.

"A little, sometimes?" Scorpius retorted, rolling his eyes, clearly thinking they were euphemisms.

Albus laughed dryly, shaking his head at Scorpius who looked mildly horrified. "You get used to it after a while, I wouldn't listen to him."

"Wasn't planning on," Scorpius replied, but was distracted by something.

Scorpius cast his eyes down and brought his book to his face, suddenly completely disconnected from the world like he was earlier. Albus turned around and saw James and his friends all pointing to wrists and looking at Scorpius, clearly indicating that he was a death eater.

Albus recognized the dejected look on Scorpius' face, something he often had. He knew firsthand that James could be mean, but he didn't think he would go that far. Albus was usually the on the receiving line of James' joke, so he understood how Scorpius felt.

Although, instead of trying to stop James he just ignored it, albeit he could see it making Scorpius tense and desperately try to concentrate on his book. 

The two boys sat in a comfortable silence as the sunlight flooded into the great hall, making Scorpius's white-blond hair glow. Albus had to fight to not stare mesmerized at the boy who was so unaware of his presence. But Rose came over to where Albus was sat and pulled him up from his seat.

"I know what the sorting hat said but you don't belong in Slytherin, so come and sit with us at the Gryffindor table," Rose said, trying to tug him away.

"She's right, you don't belong here," Scorpius added, looking Albus in the eyes before going to back to his book again.

Albus dishearteningly agreed and allowed himself to be dragged over to the table where all the Gryffindors were talking loudly and excitedly; Albus hated it. Despite what everyone was saying, he didn't belong in Gryffindor. He didn't like the loudness and the havoc they caused but he didn't know what to do. He didn't belong in the house he was put in, or the one he was supposed to be put in.

⚡️

Albus begrudgingly walked with the rest of the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years to their fourth lesson of the day. Everyone was talking to each other, apart from Albus and Scorpius who walked at the back silently. He could practically hear people talking about how they had a class with Albus Potter, the 'Savior's child'. Albus nearly laughed at what they called his father, he wasn't a savior. However, he didn't say anything and let them say what they wanted.

They walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and the teacher's eyes bulged when they saw Albus. Unfortunately, Albus was already ready to disappoint the teacher.

Professor Trewner sat everyone down, mixing Slytherin and Gryffindor students up. Albus ended up next to a dark haired girl with massive glasses and a lisp. The girl looked as equally displeased to be sat next to him as he was about her. However, they both knew they have to suck it up.

Professor Trewner introduced the class to his subject and Albus already knew he was going to fail miserably. Albus hated all dark, scary, mysterious things that were unknown to him. His biggest fear was the unknown. He wasn't very good at facing his fears or problems either, and honestly couldn't imagine himself trying to conjure a spell whilst looking dark magic in the face. The Ravenclaw girl next to him Annie Stevens, was, unlike him, eagerly taking down notes on whatever the professor said.

Albus had only been in the classroom twenty minutes before his dad was inevitably brought up. The whole class turned to Albus as he sunk in his seat, knowing a question was going to be asked.

"One of our old students, Harry Potter, did outstandingly well in Defense Against the Dark Arts, his eldest son is doing exceedingly well," Professor Trewner began, "Now Mr. Potter you must follow in his footsteps and be equally good, what are the five signs of a werewolf?"

Albus pretended not to know. He didn't even care to know. He knew he wasn't good at the Dark Arts, his dad and brother had been teaching him for years but he never picked it up. "I- uh, I don't know."

Of course, Albus knew. Albus had grown up surrounded by his parents talking about the dark arts and everything in it. Albus knew everything there was to know about werewolves after an incident which led to them being all his father talked about. He just didn't want it to be expected of him. 

Apparently, everyone knew because the whole class erupted into quiet laughter at his lack of knowledge. He felt himself go red as the whole class stared at him. How could a Potter possibly be bad at Defense Against the Dark Arts?

The only Potter who 'couldn't' do Defense Against the Dark Arts. The only Potter who was sorted into Slytherin. The only Potter who wasn't really a Potter.

Albus spent the rest of the lesson sat in shame, not making eye contact. He didn't think he could hate his last name so much than he did in this class. Every five minutes his father's name mentioned, making Albus tense at the words.

When he left the class he could hear people mutter about him. He kept hearing 'Potter' and 'squib' repeated. There were eyes constantly looking down on him, judging his every move. He didn't want to be here. He heard a Gryffindor yell at him 'traitor' and 'renegade'.

Albus felt himself unconsciously start to run towards the Slytherin room. He tightly held his books as he looked down and ran, not caring who he knocked into. Tears welled up in his eyes, not noticing until he tasted the salty substance on his lips.

Once he arrived at the Slytherin dungeons he yelled the password through his tears, then fled to his room. Luckily, he was the only one in there, as he threw his books on the floor and started kicking them indignantly.

He wanted to leave. He didn't belong at Hogwarts. Everyone described it as their home, but it didn't feel very homely for Albus. His home wasn't much of a home for him either, but Hogwarts just gave him the same empty feeling his real home did.

He sunk to the floor in front of his bed and looked at the ripped pages from his books and the bitterness discarded with it. He felt no motivation to clean the mess he made, but instead kick it away from him, and continue to let tears cascade down his red cheeks.

He must have shocked Scorpius who came in to collect a book but found an Albus crying on the floor. Albus didn't expect the boy to care. He didn't earlier when his brother was teasing him or when Rose took him away, so why would he now. However, Albus could just watch as Scorpius cast the 'reparo' on each one of the broken books.

The boy then held his hand out for Albus to take, which pulled him up. Scorpius used his robe sleeve to dry the tears on Albus' cheeks and gave the boy a small smile.

"We aren't too different after all."

⚡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know James is mean but aren't all siblings :))


	3. Chapter Three

⚡

Albus was ready to send his first letter to his parents. He knew his parents were going to send one to him, most likely knowing that he was in Slytherin by James. He was sat in the hall like he always was. He was sat opposite like he always was, just sitting watching Scorpius read.

He and Scorpius had got a lot closer after Albus' breakdown on the first day of school. They didn't talk much but always sat in a comfortable silence together. When they did make conversation it would always be Scorpius telling Albus a fact he didn't know and then having to explain it to Albus. Albus didn't mind but was instead glad that at least someone was trying to socialize with him.

Rose, on the other hand, had been pretty much ignoring him. Surprisingly, he wasn't at that much of a loss without her, but happy he finally had rid of her watchful eyes. His brother was the same as Rose, although, occasionally appeared in the times when Albus most wanted him to disappear. James never failed to forget the house Albus was in whenever he saw him and made sure to bring it up in order to degrade him.

A lot of people had decided to make life hard for Albus. The three boys in his dorm room were only a small number of the boys who found it funny to make fun of Albus. No one knew that there were people tormenting him as he didn't want anyone thinking he couldn't stand up for himself, even though he really couldn't. He didn't want any there to be more reasons supporting the fact that he is a disappointment. He always got worried that someone would see it happen, but fortunately, no one did.

A whole army of owls flew into the great hall. Everyone's faces lit up as they saw letters and presents from their families arrive. Albus was no different and quickly found his family's owl among the sea of all the other similar looking owls. The owl swooped down to the Gryffindor table and delivered the letters there. He then came to the Slytherin table and landed in front of Albus. He removed the letter addressed to him, fed Fido, then attached the letter he wrote to his parents onto his leg.

Albus looked over at Scorpius, who's owl had delivered a small parcel with a letter attached. Before Albus read his letter he quickly looked over to see what Scorpius' parents sent him. Chocolate Frogs. A lot of them. Scorpius saw Albus' face and threw him one, receiving an honest thank you in return.

Albus opened his letter, not really knowing what to expect. He just hoped he hadn't greatly disappointed his family.

-•- ⚡️ -•-

To Albus Severus,

Hello my love, how is school? We heard you got sorted into Slytherin by James, must say we were quite surprised. We hoped you have settled into the Hogwarts way well, you must love it there.

Have you made any friends? Be sure to invite them for Christmas, it would be lovely to meet them.

Don't forget to write back!

Love you,

Mum and Dad

-•- ⚡️ -•-

Albus read the letter over and over again. His parents thought he loved it at Hogwarts. They think he's like all the other Potters and Weasley's, courageous and happy for anything. He was the exact opposite. He was scared of so much, his own thoughts scared him. He wasn't like the rest of his family, he had never been. He looked over at his brother and cousins and saw them smiling happily at their letters, James having a little parcel attached to his.

Scorpius had a similar look on his face that Albus had. Albus sent him a small smile which Scorpius returned as he pushed up his thick framed glasses up his nose. Scorpius sighed and put the letter from his parents down.

"My father thinks I'm the most popular boy in my year, mother sent me all the Chocolate Frogs to share with all my friends," Scorpius told Albus looking down, "we now have Chocolate Frogs to last the entire year."

"We?" Albus questioned, receiving a shy nod from Scorpius, "oh good, I love Chocolate Frogs!"

Scorpius laughed at Albus' sudden change in personality. He handed the boy a couple, who shoved them into his robes for later.

Albus remembered that Scorpius said they were for his friends. Were him and Scorpius now friends? He hoped they were. His mind had seemed to of blurred over the fact their parents were and maybe still are, sworn enemies. However, none of that mattered as he finally thought he had someone he could actually call a friend.

"Friends?" Albus asked, just wanting confirmation of this new found relationship.

"If you want, Albus Severus," Scorpius said, causing Albus to shudder.

"Anything but Severus, Malfoy," Albus replied, making Scorpius laugh at his reaction.

"Fine, Potter," Scorpius said, ending that conversation.

⚡️

Albus started feeling a lot happier about school. He had Scorpius by his side 24/7, and he didn't feel so alone. He still had bad thoughts, a lot, but tried as hard as he could to suppress them. Still, no one knew about the boys who were mainly in Gryffindor who bullied him. He thought Scorpius had started to catch on, but so far the boy hadn't said anything.

James started seeing Albus and Scorpius together more and made sure to tell Albus he didn't like it. Albus was annoyed at James about that seeing as he could choose who is friends were. Multiple times James threatened to tell their parents but Albus tried not to care as he was glad Scorpius was his friend. He didn't need anyone else.

Albus was struggling with all of his classes. He didn't understand magic. He had been around it his whole life and had never questioned it. Scorpius spent many rainy days reading book after book to him about all different topics that they were learning. Although, Albus would fall asleep on him and leave Scorpius stuck in the same position until he decided to wake again.

After a while, Albus started noticing so much about Scorpius. They had made a mutual agreement to not discuss their families with one another, both being topics not wanting to be brought up. However, because of this Albus started noticing how unnerved Scorpius became when he heard his father's name mentioned. It was like someone had electrocuted him.

Both boys had stuck to mostly calling each other by their surnames, agreeing that despite the negative connotations linked with them, they were better than Albus Severus and Scorpius. This led to many people thinking they weren't friends, which they were perfectly happy to go along with.

James continued to be rude to Scorpius. At every opportunity, he'd trip the boy over or point to his wand to his wrist. At first, Albus didn't notice and Scorpius was too scared to tell him. 

But one afternoon on their way back from their potions class Albus heard a familiar voice shout, "Hey Death eater, show us your scar!"

Albus turned around quicker than anything and ran over to James, leaving Scorpius alone in the corridor waiting for him. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Albus shouted, his whole body shaking with fear. 

"Woah, alright Albus, calm down," James replied, a smirk on his face knowing he'd upset his brother.

"Leave Scorpius alone, he hasn't done anything wrong," Albus shouted again, causing a group to form around the heated conversation.

"Merlin's beard, fuck off everyone, let me just talk to him really quickly and I'll catch up with you," James said, waving everyone away. "Albus you know I don't like Scorpius, Mum and Dad won't either."

"I don't care, he's my friend James, why can't you just leave us alone?" Albus questioned, annoyed that his parents were being brought into it. 

"Albus is Dad was a death eater and his Mum wasn't much better, he's not the type of person you should be hanging around with. He smells of superiority and his parent's money," James sneered, "You're making us all look bad."

"Who smells like superiority now?" Albus retorted. 

James pushed Albus away looking angry, "you're a freak Albus, a real weirdo. I can't wait for Mum and Dad to find out about your little friend, they'll like you even less."

Albus starting walking away from James too upset to want to be around anyone. The boy walked straight past Scorpius who was stood waiting for him and headed towards the Slytherin Dungeons. 

"Albus!" Scorpius called, running to keep after him. 

"Sorry Scorp, I don't want to talk right now."

"You didn't have to do that Albus, I don't mind being called a death eater," Scorpius tried to explain, now walking alongside Albus. 

Albus ignored him and said the password to get into the Slytherin common room. Scorpius jumped through quickly as well and watched as Albus just collapsed onto one of the couches. Albus looked up at Scorpius with pained eyes, and Scorpius saw the amount of sadness hiding in the boy for the first time. 

For the first time, Scorpius sat down next to Albus and pulled the boy into a hug, in an attempt to put all the boy's broken pieces back together.

⚡️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the erratic uploads, I am currently writing my history NEA which is taking up a lot my time. I'm trying to get these uploads up so bear with!!


	4. Chapter Four

⚡️

Winter came almost too soon at Hogwarts. The castle now covered in a thick layer of powdered coldness, with a hint of gloom in the air as well. All students were wrapped up in their house scarfs, although, everyone thought they needed more than just a scarf to survive the unforgiving weather. The hospital wing was almost overflowing with sick students; fortunately, neither Albus nor Scorpius having to go there themselves yet.

During winter, Albus showed his secret passion. He never really told anyone as is it seen as quite a mugglish hobby. The only person who knew was Scorpius as the two of them spent many cold evening in the dungeons together. Scorpius would read to him while Albus drew with a pencil, finding them a lot easier to use than a quill. At first, Scorpius was curious at the small wooden object but was amazed at the artwork Albus could create with it in his small notebook. He kept the drawings hidden in a magic art book, which only opened at his command. Scorpius never asked to look in it, meaning he'd only seen one picture Albus had ever drawn.

Christmas was only a couple of weeks away and Albus was already dreading it. He felt left out as it was in his tight-knit family, but being placed in Slytherin could only make it worse. He couldn't bear the idea of having to spend time surrounded by the whole Weasley family, just the thought made his head hurt. He wished he could invite Scorpius around, but he didn't think he was ready for his family to hate him any more than they already probably did. The chances of James telling his parents about Scorpius was small, but he still had a fear he did.

"Potter," Albus heard Scorpius say to him, as he settled in an armchair.

"Malfoy," Albus replied, receiving a smirk from across the room.

"What's on your mind?" Scorpius asked, grabbing his book, then squeezing into the same armchair as Albus.

"The usual; potions, charms, death, defence against the dark arts. The same as always," Albus answered, leaning his head on Scorpius' shoulder to tickle his neck with his hair. His eyes fluttered shut and just listened to Scorpius' sigh.

Like always, Scorpius chose to ignore certain words of Albus. He knew what Albus was like and that it was better to ignore some of the things the boy said. Part of him was worried about Albus, seeing as the boy always had negative thoughts. However, he understood what Albus meant, always feeling left out and alone in his family.

It had happened again, Albus was walking to his next class when a group of Gryffindor boys started mocking him. He knew better than to respond to them but he always felt stupid, and as if he had done the wrong thing afterwards. It was always to do with his family, and unfortunately Scorpius there to see it too.

They had never explicitly discussed their families, however, Scorpius could see how unnerved Albus got whenever someone mentioned his family.

"C'mon Albus, let's go to bed," Scorpius said, standing up and holding his hand out to take Albus.

Albus smiled and took his hand, but dropped it promptly after standing up. They walked in silence to the dorm room. Albus nearly turned around and ran out of the dungeons, when hearing a ruckus come from their room. Normally, he and Scorpius would get back to dormitory hours before everyone else so they could avoid all the nasty comments and dirty looks.

Scorpius opened the door for them, not knowing anything as wrong and let Albus walk through. The first thing Albus saw made him grab pyjamas and head towards the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower", was the last thing he said before slamming the door.

Albus let the burning hot water run over his, now, red body. He wasn't an idiot. He saw the destruction done to his properties by the others on his bed. For the first time since his first day, he allowed tears to tumble down his cheeks. He sat down on the floor of the showers and let the searing water consume him, so his tears quickly got lost in the rest of the water.

After what felt like hours he finally got out of the showers and got dressed in his Slytherin pyjamas. He left the bathroom running his hands through his hair and carrying his robes. He looked at his bed and saw all the mess gone, and instead in neat piles on his bedside table.

Scorpius was reading in the bed next to his and gave Albus a small smile. Albus returned it before clambering into his own bed and closing the curtains as a way of isolating himself from the rest of the room so he could finally get some sleep.

⚡️

It was the first match of Quidditch of the year. Albus remembered being told about how his father was the seeker from his first year. All of his broomsticks were on display in the shed with all the other Quidditch equipment they had at home. Also, his Mother used to be a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies, meaning Quidditch was something he was brought up on.

However, Albus hated Quidditch. He wasn't a very good flyer and it led to many fights between him and James, who'd always say he'd play nice but never did. It didn't help that the boy was deathly afraid of heights. He saw no joy in looking down and not being able to see the safety of the ground. 

Quidditch, however, was a not a niche game at Hogwarts. The whole school would find their way to the stands and watch their housemates fly around for as long as it took. It was Albus' first school match, and obviously he'd been told all about the crazy stories that had happened when his father was the Gryffindor seeker. As much as he hated James at the best and worst of times, he'd still be the first one to help him if something like that happened to him.

The first match of the year was Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Albus wasn't a fan of Gryffindor for obvious reasons, but knew no one in Hufflepuff. 

Albus and Scorpius made their way to the Slytherin stand and sat with the rest of their house, no one looking particularly thrilled to be there. It wasn't long because they saw a rush of red and gold fly past them and the game had begun. Albus followed along as best he could but he wasn't quick enough and ended up just resting his head on Scorpius to keep warm.

The game went on for what left like hours. Albus would’ve found four hours of Defence Against the Dark Arts homework more exciting than Quidditch. 

Suddenly, a red and gold body skimmed his head and he looked up, catching a smirk on James’ face before the boy dived down. Everyone gasped and looked down, trying to spit him. But soon he rose, red checked and with a grin on his face. He was holding the snitch triumphantly and the Gryffindor stand erupted into cheers. The cheering was unbearable and most people from Slytherin were leaving the stands, the Quidditch already coming up with new strategies in order for the next game. 

Albus and Scorpius decided to take a the long way back and walked nearly all around the school. They didn’t say much, they didn’t need to. They kept glancing at each other and giving them small smiles, not meaning much more than just ‘hi’, over and over again. 

Unfortunately, they walked back into the castle as the Gryffindor team did. The group were cheering and laughing as they walked through. Albus tried to not make himself known as he and Scorpius scurried down stairs. But James saw him and shouted down to him.

“Hey, Albus Severus aren’t you going to congratulate your brother,” Janes called down to him.

“Congratulations,” Albus replied, looking up nervously, never sure of what to expect from James.

“Well at least Mum and Dad only have one squib son,” James laughed, “You might as well go to muggle school, I hear the books are a lot cheaper.”

The rest of the team went ‘oooooh’ and clapped James on the back. Albus just pivoted on the spot and hurried off into the safe place that was the common room. 

Once back in there, he collapsed onto one of the couches and sighed deeply. Scorpius joined him on the couch and pulled out a book he always kept with him. 

The rest of the house looked at them weirdly. No one really wanted Scorpius and Albus in there house. Who would watch a death eaters child and the only Potter who couldn’t do magic?

However, the two boys didn’t move and eventually everyone around them went off to bed and to crash the Gryffindor party. 

“Hey Albus, are you alright?” Scorpius whispered. 

“I’m not really sure,” Albus replied truthfully. “My family hate me and I don’t know why.”

“Well I think you’re marvellous Albus,” Scorpius said with a smile, “truly wonderful, and if they don’t see it then they’re the squibs.”

Albus laughed at how naive that sounded. He knew that James was practically burning with magic as soon as he was born. But it did make him feel better. 

“What are you doing for Christmas?” Scorpius asked, his eyes looking larger than usual through his glasses. 

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Albus muttered, knowing there was about a thousand essays he’d rather be writing.

“Well, if you want I can talk to my mum and see if you can come over, if you like,” Scorpius suggested.

Albus looked at him hopefully with a smile on his face. “I’d like that a lot, so much.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Scorpius said with a smile.

The two boys spent the rest of the evening discussing what else they were doing over Christmas and what they could do when they got back to school. They ended up laughing over something stupid they were saying and they didn’t want anything to change.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super sorry that I haven’t updated for a while, I’m still writing coursework and am now on holiday sooo life is happening
> 
> also @james muggle books are not cheaper, let me tell you !!


	5. Chapter Five

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It was the last day of term and Albus was dreading going home. Of course, he was excited to see his family, but he didn't know if he could survive two long weeks with them. He knew Lily would be excited to see James as he is the perfect older brother, a lot unlike Albus. The reason everyone loved James was because he reminded them of Harry when he was younger.

Most people found the similarities between Harry and James quite clear, both in looks and in personality. However, to the people who knew James and Lily, Albus' grandparents, they all thought that Albus was the perfect mixture of the two. The boys had tanned featured and dark brown hair to match his grandfathers, however he had a shy and calm attitude much like his grandmother's. Secretly, Albus thought that maybe that was the reason that his father didn't like him as much, he brought him too much pain. Of course, Albus could never share this but it was something that played on his mind.

Scorpius, on the other hand, was extremely excited to see his parents. Having spent the first eleven years of his life with just them in France, he missed them terribly when he was away. He mostly missed the library, though, the biggest room in the house filled with every book you could imagine. He had already decided he was going to spend the majority of his time in there.

The two boys boarded the Hogwarts Express, both full of nerves and excitement for the Christmas holidays. The train journey was spent by a lot of quiet talking, sweets, and 'I'll miss yous'. Scorpius also had his current reading book out and was reading funny, or intellectual parts to Albus. Being a good friend, Albus nodded along to whatever Scorpius was saying as he scribbled away in his notebook.

Soon a train came into Kings Cross Station and Albus snapped his notebook shut and shoved it into his pocket. He looked over at Scorpius who had done the same to his book, before both of them standing up. Everybody was already racing to get off the train, so the two of them decided to wait until it was a bit less crowded.

After a while, quite a few students had left with their families and there was actual space to get off the platform. Scorpius peered out the window and saw his parents in the far corner, away from everyone else. Albus' family, however, was in the centre with people coming up and chatting to them.

The two boys grabbed their stuff and made their ways off the train and headed towards their families. Albus immediately saw a bunch of gingers and knew it was his family, but quickly looked over to see Scorpius walk towards his much smaller family. Ginny pulled Albus into a hug straight away, Harry doing the same just after.

Albus' family looked at him weirdly, seeing the Slytherin scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. However, he ignored their stares and picked up his bags and followed them out of the station. James kept on looking at him with disgust while chatting to Lily about school. Albus walked behind the rest of the family, just wishing he could turn around and go home with the Malfoys.

Harry and Ginny had decided that since everyone was still young, they'd invest in a muggle car to transport the family places, as it was a lot easy than apparating the whole family. Thus, Albus threw his trunk in the boot of the car and got into the back. Lily demanded to sit in the middle so she could be next to both of the brothers, yet only made conversation with James.

When they had eventually returned, Albus went straight to his bedroom with his case and shut the door behind him. The small, box sized bedroom, at the back corner of the house which never seemed to receive any light. The memories of his younger years came flooding back as he looked at the walls he once wished to rid, but now couldn't be any more relieved to see them. He fell back onto his bed and looked up at all the pictures scattering his walls. He had a muggle camera at his house, as he hadn't been allowed a magical one but it meant he couldn't take it to Hogwarts.

His family didn't understand why he loved cameras. He had one muggles would call a polaroid as the pictures came out instantly. His parents said it was useless as he didn't take pictures of anything worth keeping.

Albus begged to differ. He only used the camera to take pictures of beautiful things. Whether it be the most flourishing flower in the garden or a wilting weed in the rain Albus didn't care as long as he thought it was beautiful.

He also had a lot of filled up sketchbooks hidden under his bed. He kept a vast variety of pencils under there as well, to keep his parents from knowing. It was quite a task buying all his art supplies without his family knowing, however, he always seemed to manage and keep them hidden.

He fell back onto his bed and stared up at his ceiling. He started imagining multicoloured swirls and designs dancing around the ceiling, only to blink and them disappear. He could hear his family downstairs laughing, clearly not realising they were missing him.

"Albus Severus, pack up your things, we're going to your Grandparents tomorrow morning," His father shouted.

Albus sighed, knowing the beginning of another dreary Christmas holiday was about to begin. Two weeks of sharing a room with James and Hugo, whilst trying avoid his whole family. He picked up all the clothes he needed and shoved them into a case, hiding some art supplies under all the clothes.

Once he'd packed up all the things he needed he set about thinking of what to buy Scorpius for Christmas. He'd had several ideas but he wanted the perfect gift to give to his best friend. He knew he'd be able to go to London to buy the present as his family always went Christmas shopping a couple of days before hand to get each other gifts.

A couple of hours later and Albus was in the car on the way to his grandparents, wishing he could be anywhere in the world but the silver Volvo transporting him to two weeks of misery.

⚡️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooow sorry for not updating for like forever... school has started and I’m too busy crying


End file.
